As a part of the Compassion Without Borders tour, the 14th Dalai Lama stopped in sunny San Diego where he lectured to a large audience at San Diego State University about the importance of compassion and humanity; especially in a world that doesn't always seem to foster these same values. His grace and ability to simplify the most complex humanitarian issues was both refreshing and inspiring. Working in the field of human rights is not always inspiring- in fact, it can be grim, heartbreaking and desolate. However, I believe that success stories in this field always stem from a seed of aspiration rooted deep in their foundation. The Dalai Lama honed in on that aspiration with these inspiring messages:

- Compassion without borders is beautiful.
- Once we see ourselves as indistinct from each other (i.e. every culture, religion and ethnicity is woven from the same fabric) we will no longer have grounds for violence and division.
- Positive thinking and the release of fear, worry and jealousy promote a calm mind. With a calm mind comes a healthy body.

On a lighter note, as an SDSU alumni myself the icing on the cake was the SDSU Aztec visor sitting snugly on His Holiness' head throughout the entire 2.5 hours of his lecture. It doesn't get much better than that!